2022 was an extension of the bad moment that Colombian soccer is going through internationally. This time the blow took a little longer, but not much. Deportes Tolima, who surprised in the Copa Libertadores, clung to a feat and left humiliated. Deportivo Cali, which has had a year of neglect, and now without DT, could not hold out in the Copa Sudamericana.
Reasons for double failure
1. Own errors. Tolima had a tough challenge against one of the favorites to win the Copa Libertadores. He played a great match against Flamengo in Ibagué, but he fell apart in the Maracana. He weighed the pressure, he did not survive even 5 minutes. Lost 7-1. Tolima sinned, of course, with the 1-0 he opened up, exposed himself, a suicide. He received a historic win.
Cali had its mistakes. The internal problems of him. Take out DT Rafael Dudamel after the first leg that tied with Melgar, go to seek the classification in Peru with improvisation. Cali has had a year to forget and worsened its crisis with this elimination. It is a hard blow because Cali did not seem inferior to Melgar, and yet he ran into a serious, orderly and diligent rival.
2. Astronomical differences: Tolima and Cali ran out of clothes for the party. And it is a reality. Tolima put together a good team, they have it, for the local media they will be able to fight for the title again. But their difference on the mainland is still a huge gap. Flamengo has a payroll valued at 165 million euros. Tolima, 21.13. Tolima has just signed Andrés Renteria, a great reinforcement. Flamengo is about to close Arturo Vidal, the bomb of the continental market…
Cali did not enjoy a large payroll. The champion team in the League in December was decreasing in quality. And that coincided with drops in the level of some players. Cali fought in the Copa Libertadores but despite their struggle they fell short of powerful Boca and Corinthians. That’s why he fell to the South American, and against a theoretically equal rival, he couldn’t.
3. Mindset. Once again, the Colombian teams were emotionally diminished. It was ratified that at an international level, Colombian clubs not only lack dollars but also a winning vision, mental strength. Tolima couldn’t handle the pressure from the Maracana, it couldn’t handle the giant in front of it. He could not overcome the defeat in the League final.
The case of Cali is worse. He couldn’t beat Melgar, which may be the best Peruvian team at the moment, but it wasn’t superior for that. Players like Teófilo Gutiérrez or Angelo Rodríguez, among others, lacked weight to guide the team. Cali was a docile team, which did not play with the category of the Colombian champion only 6 months ago.
4. Calendar and system. Many criticisms are woven within Colombian soccer, every time international failures are suffered. The number of games played, tight schedules are criticized. Tolima, for example, played the League final and three days later they received Flamengo. The next League begins without rest, without vacations. The demand is maximum.
5. Sell and do not reinvest. On the other hand, the championship system allows any team to reach the final and be champion. The best payrolls can have a bad game and come up empty handed. The teams, aware of a low level, with some exceptions, take players abroad, sell quickly, reinvest little. Proof of them is the weak movement of signings for the championship that is about to begin. The best payrolls are still those of Tolima, Nacional, Junior, Millonarios, and they are not able to face the double participation. Medellín, for example, decided to sign up for the League, which it did not win, leaving aside the South American. The crisis is deep, structural and delicate.
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